Developer Diary

May 27, 2022

319

Dear Pilots!

In today’s DD we have three new things to show you. First, we have some screenshots of our Normandy Map which is coming together nicely. It’s looking very scenic! Second, we have developed the technology to launch a V-1 “Buzz Bomb” from fixed installations. They will make great targets for mission designers. And finally, we have been working on the technology necessary to portray amphibious landings which is necessary for Normandy.

Normandy Landscape

Below are screens from the new map. As you can see there are some rather large cities and towns as well as a variety of different airfield types. The landscape is also very beautiful. Together it will make a very interesting and fun map to fly over.

V-1 Installations

The dreaded V-1 is operational in our project for the first time. V-1 sites were prized targets by Allied pilots and needed to be silenced. The V-1s raining down on the UK in the summer of 1944 were a real problem and caused so much destruction and casualties. Attacking these sites will make for some excellent missions.

Amphibious Landings

And finally, we can’t have an invasion without landing craft bringing troops and vehicles to the beaches. In the images below we see some testing on one of our non-Normandy maps. We have found a clever way to make infantry objects that appear pretty convincing. These soldiers can advance and shoot at the enemy and of course they can perish. Just don’t ask these little pixel soldiers to make you a sandwich or tea, they aren’t that smart.

Enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team

You can discuss HERE.

June 10, 2022

320

Dear Pilots,

Today’s DD takes a look at our cliff models for the Normandy Map. Making realistic looking cliff faces in a flight-simulator is always tough. Whenever you make a map with the English Channel this becomes necessary. Many other development teams have had to craft them over the years and we are no exception. We had our first crack at them when we made our Channel Map for Rise of Flight about 10 years ago. We’ve gotten better at making them and below you can see some work-in-progress images of how they currently look in IL-2 Great Battles. Work on the Normandy map continues and it is really starting to take shape. The map will be released later this summer.

However, the next update is already in Beta and it will include the Arado AR-234 jet bomber. What an interesting and challenging aircraft to model. She’s pretty complex. And the AI B-26 will also be I the next update.

Enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team

You can discuss HERE.

June 24, 2022

321

Dear Pilots,

Today’s DD brings us images of the ME 410 A-1 in the engine finally, showing off some of its paint-schemes and beautiful lines. This beautiful bird has been in development for a long time, but the wait has been worth it. The cockpit was an especially challenging piece of work and we’ll have pics of it in the next Developer Diary, but today feast your eyes on its external beauty. Our 410 an A-1 model, but with various modifications that are included it can also become a B-2 variant. We think you will really enjoy the ME 410 A-1 ‘Hornisse’ as it was known. It’s another triumph for the Sturmovik modeling and engineering teams! The ME 410 will enter Beta in about a week’s time.

We also have several images of airfields that will be present on the Normandy map. It’s nearing completion and will enter Beta soon as well. It should be noted that the images below are still WIP and some textures may not final. As we have highlighted in previous diaries, different fields have different surfaces. These images definitely demonstrate a variety of different types. Just like our previous maps there will be numerous airfields to launch missions from and of course attack! There is just a huge variety of different airfield types to choose from.

Enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team

You can Discuss HERE.

June 30, 2022

322

Dear Pilots!

Today’s Developer Diary is a continuation of last weeks with more pictures of the upcoming ME 410 release, this time of the very cool looking cockpit along with more images of airfields on the Normandy map.

The ME 410 is the last of the player flyable aircraft from the Normandy plane-set to be released and the cockpit proved to be a challenge to create, especially with its unique defensive armament arrangement and complicated gunner controls. However, our modeling and engineering teams have once again created an amazing combat experience for IL-2 pilots. The ME 410 will enter beta testing very soon and testers can put it through its paces. We’re almost there Hornisse fans!

A fun fact about the Normandy map is that there are 100 airfields total when you combine the airfields in southern England and Normandy regions. These pics are just a few.

Work on the Normandy map, Normandy Career and remaining vehicles and ships continue full throttle as we march to release in the coming weeks.

And just a reminder that BON still has it’s Early Access discount, but time is getting short. If you have not already purchased it, now is a great time to pull the trigger.

Enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team

You can discuss HERE.

July 15, 2022

323

Dear Pilots and Tankers!

As the team continues to work on finishing the ME 410 and work out the kinks in the Normandy map, here are a few pics showing progress on a some hotly awaited Collector content – the Siemens-Schuckert D.IV and the Stug III Ausf. G. Both are progressing nicely as they are built by Ugra Media and DigitalForms respectively. We look forward to releasing them to you as they will both make excellent additions to Flying Circus and Tank Crew.

Siemens-Schuckert D.IV

Stug III Ausf. G

Work on our Custom Input Profile system also continues as does work on the Normandy Career. All of our other announced collector aircraft and vehicles such as the C-47, Churchill, IAR 80/81 and Spitfire Mk. XIV “Bubble Top” are also inching closer to being ready. It’s a hot and busy summer for the team!

We also have a new FREE Scripted Campaign for Battle of Bodenplatte coming later this summer called Wild Mustangs featuring the P-51D which was built by our friend and partner Jaegermeister. It’s looks like a lot of fun! More on that soon.

Enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team

You can discuss HERE.

July 22, 2022

324

Hello Pilots and Tankers!

Today’s Developer Diary is a video of a GREAT NEW FEATURE for the Great Battles series – Custom Input Profiles! This will allow you to create many different input profiles and pitch responses for your favorite planes and tanks and assign them to each one. The profiles will automatically load each time you jump into the cockpit. This has been a long-requested feature and we are happy that it is just about ready for release. It makes managing your Great Battles install a lot easier. We hope you like what you see in the video.

Enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team

You can discuss HERE.

July 29, 2022

325

Dear Pilots,

Today’s Developer Diary is a video that shows the Me 410 in action! We’re very proud of this aircraft because it is the most detailed and comprehensive modeling of a 410 ever in a combat flight simulator. It took several team members to complete it and lots of testing from the Beta testers to get it to its final form, but here is a sneak peak of the upcoming ‘Hornisse’ in action. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we worked to ready the 410 for release. And special thanks to our new video maker Javier for making this video. :salute:

We continue to finish the Normandy map, which is the most complex map we have ever made, and work continues on our other Collector Planes and Tanks as planned. We hope to have more images to show you soon on those. The FC2 map continues to be worked on as well.

Enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team

You can discuss HERE.

August 5, 2022

326

Dear Pilots and Tankers!

Today’s DD gives you a glimpse of the gorgeous scenes that are possible with the new Normandy map which is rapidly nearing completion and we give you a sneak peak at the progress on the Churchill Mk.IV exterior and interior.

Below are some recent screens I’ve taken with each of the aircraft built specifically for Battle of Normandy including the AI piloted B-26. Of course, all of these planes can be flown alongside your own or against in any title in the series. This really is our most detailed and complex map we’ve ever made and pushes our current map technology to its limit. It will provide countless hours of great missions and historical re-enactments of this pivotal battle and theater of the war. We think you’ll like it.

Below are some very WIP images of the Churchill Mk.IV tank coming to Great Battles. As you can see the interior is NOT textured completely, but you can tell that our friends at DigitalForms have once again done an amazing modeling job!

It’s another very busy summer for us. Stay tuned!

Enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team

You can discuss HERE.

August 19, 2022

327

The summer is ending, just like our Battle of Normandy release preparations. Two variations of the Normandy and Southern England map (before and after the invasion) are ready, Career mode is ready, Quick Missions and Advanced Quick Missions are ready - today we're starting the release candidate testing. This time we want to spend more time and resources on the testing and debugging. The beta-testing of the 5.001 update is going for two weeks already and we plan to test the release candidate for two more at least. There's a reason for that - it will include not only the Battle of Normandy, but a number of global improvements as well.

The main global change is the long promised revision of the aircraft Damage Model. This time we have attempted to make more fundamental changes and not just "adjust the airframe durability to meet player expectations", but reverse-engineer the system in search of potential issues in many of its parts. During this process we have found a number of calculation passes which could be improved or tuned. These changes are already in the beta and beta-testers have responded that the damage received by aircraft in various combat situations looks significantly more adequate and realistic. We understand that this is a touchy subject, so the final changes will be explained in detail in the release notes of the 5.001 update.

Speaking of the finishing of the new map and Career mode, we want to say that for each new project we have set more and more ambitious goals for ourselves, even if it wasn't clear in the beginning how it would work out and what the final answer to these challenges would be. Once again, many parameters have surpassed their previous records in the series. For instance, the length of the coastline is 990 km on the French coast and 1060 km on the English coast. 490 major cities and towns, not counting the minor ones, were recreated while keeping in mind their overall historical boundaries and main layout features. 100 airfields are waiting for your flight - and not one of them is 'default' or cloned, they all have historical layouts reconstructed using documents and air photos. Moreover, a new set of the airfield surface types was created:

1. Grass
2. CON (Concrete)
3. WC (Wood Chippings) - concrete covered by wood chippings and tar
4. TAR (Tarmac) - asphalt
5. ETH (Compressed Earth)
6. PBS (Prefabricated Bituminous Surface) - canvas saturated with tar
7. ST (Sommerfeld Track) - steel wire mesh reinforced with steel bars
8. SMT (Square-Mesh Track) - square mesh
9. PSP (Pierced Steel Planking) - stamped steel plates.

As we have mentioned, there are two map variations created - before and after the invasion. Pre-invasion map lacks newly constructed airfields and constructions erected after D-Day on the Normandy shore. Career mode development required detailed information on symbols, tour of duty, bases, armament and assigned tasks for 225 squadrons acting in this project - players can join 103 of them and others are populated by AI pilots. This is another record for the Great Battles series. 9 new mission types were designed for the Normandy Career concentrating on the D-Day events and V-1 intercepts. Pilot's Career in the Battle of Normandy timeframe contains 5 phases and 17 front line states that change along the progression of time. As always, all the scenarios generated in the Career mode are unique even if you fly to the same target again - the generated combat situation will be different, while the weather will correspond to the real weather on that day.

All in all, we're hoping that Battle of Normandy will be the most significant release in the IL-2 Great Battles series and all of you who have supported us all these years will enjoy another virtual, but to a great extent historically accurate reconstruction of a major air battle, that was created with love and respect to our common history.

You can discuss the news in this thread

August 26, 2022

328

While we are testing the Normandy release candidate, work is underway on other projects, which are scheduled for release a little later. In particular, the new Churchill IV player-controllable tank is in the final stage of development for the Tank Crew project. Supplied to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease program, this tank was an active participant in the events on the Kursk Bulge. During our work on it, we and our partners from Digital Forms have implemented a lot of its design features and equipment. It was an extremely difficult tank to develop because it has a very specific design with a complex armor scheme, an intricate track assembly, a variety of additional equipment, and rather specific crew working conditions. To better describe it, here is an excerpt from its in-game description:

The Churchill tank belonged to the class of infantry tanks developed by the British Army. According to this classification, the Churchill had low mobility and hardly the most powerful weaponry, but it was protected with powerful armor, and thus belonged to the class of heavy tanks. The tank was produced in England throughout the war years and was one of the most numerous armored vehicles in His Majesty’s troops. The variant featured in the game was produced by the Leyland factory.

The first batch of early modification Churchill tanks under the Lend-Lease program was delivered to the USSR by the infamous Arctic convoy PQ-17. In total, 301 Churchill tanks were sent to the USSR during the war years, of which a little less than 50 vehicles were lost during transportation. 253 tanks were delivered to the Red Army during 1942 and 1943. The Churchill was the only heavy tank model supplied to the USSR by the Allies.

Churchills took part in the battles on the southern face of the Kursk Bulge in the summer of 1943. There, as part of the 2nd Guards Tatsinsky Tank Corps, they fought against the German Totenkopf and Das Reich Panzer Divisions. Alongside, on the same section of the frontline, Churchills served with the 18th Guards Stalingrad Tank Corps and the 18th Tank Corps.

The assessments of the tank in the Red Army were contradictory. Along with good armor, the cannon’s penetrating efficiency, a reliable radio station, and convenient observation devices, there were many problems with reliability, insufficient mobility, and the absence of high-explosive fragmentation shells in the ammunition load.
The main armament of the tank was the Ordnance Quick-Firing (QF) 6-pounder 7 cwt cannon. Two versions of this gun were installed on the tank: Mk.III with a 43-caliber long barrel and Mk.V with a 50-caliber long barrel (the game features the Mk.V variant). The only type of cannon shell featured a fairly high armor penetration. However, it was solid, i.e. did not feature a bursting charge, and this significantly reduced its after-penetration effect. Also, the lack of high-explosive fragmentation shells in the ammunition load was reducing the range of tasks carried out by the tank.

From a technical perspective, the Churchill’s track assembly was quite peculiar and somewhat reminiscent of that of the famous British diamond-shaped pioneer tanks of the First World War, with the tracks covering the hull from above. This made it possible to include additional hatches along the sides that made it easier to abandon the vehicle in an emergency. Each of the 11 road wheels on either side of the tank had an individual spring suspension. However, only 6 middle ones of 11 were under load in the normal position. The hull armor was complex, comprising many rolled-steel armor parts assembled on the frame with rivets and bolts. The key feature of the Churchill IV, which distinguishes it from the previous modifications, was the turret made based on a single cast part with a thin-walled spare parts box attached to its rear, and the gun mantlet featured an original “internal” design with no parts protruding from the turret.

The tank was also equipped with a 2-inch mortar fixed on the roof of the turret, on the loader’s side. Normally, it was intended for remote smoke screen deployment with 2-inch smoke grenades fired at a distance of about 400 meters in the direction same as that of the tank gun. In the war reality of the Eastern Front, the Red Army often used Soviet-produced 50-mm high-explosive fragmentation rounds as ammunition for 2-inch English mortars. Besides the mortar, the tank is equipped with two pyrotechnic smoke dischargers mounted on the rear. They allow the tank to deploy a smoke screen within a minute and a half.

You can discuss the news in this thread

October 7, 2022

329

Dear Friends,

This one will be very short, sorry: we're preparing the update 5.002 release candidate right now and you already know what it will contain - Churchill tank (that was extensively covered by Daniel in the previous DD), dynamic visual damage and tactical numbers for all Great Battles aircraft and Normandy map improvements. We'll post the info about all this improvements simultaneously with the update release (hopefully it will happen early next week). Therefore there is little new info we can share today with two exceptions.

First, @Enigma89 has published the interview with us, it is already being discussed in the forum thread he has created:

And second, here's the first in-game shot of IAR and its cockpit which is early WIP at the moment:

However if you the IAR cockpit looks rather too "work in progress"-ish, take a look at this

Have a great weekend and enjoy BoN!

Please discuss here.

October 21, 2022

330

Dear Friends,

The work continues. At the moment we're working on the schedule of the new project, new techs, compiling design documents for the new aircraft and other objects - and along with all that we're developing the six Collector Planes, some of which will be released before the end of this year and some in the beginning of the next one. One of them is the British fighter Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIVe "Bubbletop". Unlike the Spitfire Mk.XIV already existing in the sim, this one has a bubble canopy without the dorsal fuselage spine.

Many WWII fighters had such modification - the goal was the improved backward field of view. However, the dorsal spine wasn't there for nothing - it provided better aerodynamics via better airflow behind the canopy, reducing total drag of the aircraft. Nearly all pre-war aircraft designs had it because of a bit higher speed, but the actual war, as it usually does in human history, set the priorities differently.

In the beginning of the war two Axis design bureaus tried a different canopy and rear fuselage design: there were Focke-Wulf Fw 190 designed by Kurt Tank and Mitsubishi A6M Zero designed by Jiro Horikoshi. They weren't the first fighters with bubble canopies and without a dorsal spine behind, but they were the fighters that were quite numerous and affected the air battles on either side of the Earth. The bubble canopy without the dorsal spine affected the aerodynamics negatively, but it gave the pilots much better view backwards - this was noted not only by them, but by their adversaries as well, since an air engagement was usually initiated by a sudden attack from a blind zone.

Soviet engineers created bubble canopy modifications of the existing aircraft in the end of 1942 and in 1943 these models were produced on a massive scale. Their Western colleagues adopted it later and bubble canopy modifications began to emerge in 1944. Bubbletop Spitfire Mk.XIV appeared a year after the initial design, in April 1945.

In Great Battles, Spitfire Mk.XIVe "bubbletop" will have two wing variations - with long (fighter) and short (photo recon) wingtips. As we always do, there will be other modifications included. Spitfire Mk.XIVe bubbletop will be released in the beginning of the next Spring, which is a bit symbolic, since, as we mentioned above, the real fighter appeared on the front during Spring 1945.

Please discuss here.

November 3, 2022

331

Dear Friends,

Today we'll tell you about the development progress on two other Collector Planes. The first one of them is the C-47A Skytrain. C-47A was a military modification of the civil passenger aircraft DC-3 that had the reinforced floor and large door on the left side for cargo and different radio equipment. The cargo/passenger cabin windows had gun ports for small arms firing. The Skytrain name was used in the US, British called it Dakota, while in USSR it was known as Douglas. Li-2 planes (a licensed modification of DC-3 with Soviet ASh-62 engines, Soviet cockpit instruments and armament) were also called 'Douglas'.

The DC-3/C-47 family was the most popular transport aircraft of the war. The model we have in the sim can accommodate a general cargo, air-droppable cargo containers in the cabin, the same containers attached under the fuselage and paratroopers. Having the takeoff weight of up to 14 tons, the aircraft could carry up to 2,5 tons of cargo (more than 3 tons if overweight). The main disadvantage was its low speed, which adversely affected its usage in airborne operations. However, it was very easy to pilot and had good performance characteristics, which made it a real workhorse of the war. The long-awaited feature - make it player controllable - should be ready soon. Our engineers and artists from Yugra-Media are working to make it available to you as soon as possible.

The second plane we'd like to tell you about today is the late WWI fighter with rotative engine, the epitome of the British aircraft design school - Sopwith Snipe single seater. This aircraft is being developed from scratch since we did not make it for Rise of Flight previously. This very maneuverable, fast enough aircraft that was armed with two synchronized Vickers machine guns could confront the best German aircraft of that time. The new 9-cylinder 230 HP rotative engine Bentley BR2 had 100 HP more than the Clerget 9B engine installed on the very successful Sopwith Camel - a huge increase. The upper wing was shifted lower to give the pilot a better view forward and up. The work on the 3D model of this bird by Yugra-media artists is nearly finished and the work of our engineers is underway - we hope to release it for customers this year, which means really soon in fact.

Speaking of WWI we should mention that the Flying Circus Vol.II map had good progress. We should be able to start the beta-testing of this Spring 1918 map in the near future and it will be released soon after that. In Early Access the players will be able to use the new map in QMB and create single and multiplayer missions. After that we'll have to complete the work on the Flying Circus Career mode and update the map according to the customer feedback. We count on Yugra-media designers to use the new approaches that were adopted by our map designers during the work on the Normandy map to achieve the next level of the visual quality and fidelity compared to the old Rise of Flight map. And last but not the least - according to the player feedback we have revised the WWI airplanes damage from rifle caliber ammo - the evolution and the improvement of all the parts of IL-2 continues.

You can discuss the news in this thread

November 9, 2022

332

Dear Friends,

Today we had a YouTube stream about the project:

The text below roughly follows its highlights. We'll be able to show you the stuff in development in the next Dev Blogs, while today we will give you an overview of the current work directions.

First and foremost, we're committed to the new project tech that is already in development. At the moment our graphics engine gives us more than competitive visuals and performance. And the progress doesn't stop. By the time it is released, the player's hardware, competitors' tech and game industry standards will be more advanced and we have to keep our place in the vanguard of the industry and the genre. By concentrating on the really important advancements and not spreading the resources thin on hyped things that will be soon forgotten. This is not an easy task but we were able to handle it so far and are positive we'll keep it this way. The direction of the graphics engine improvement we have chosen is massive and fundamental, requiring some new approaches to the content creation routines - therefore they affect not only our programmers but all our artists as well. As a result we'll have a new level of objects and environment quality.

Second, we plan significant changes in the graphical user interface - both its engine and design will be updated. We want to achieve the new level of visual quality by having an interface that will help the player's immersion from the first screen and in all the various game modes. While the new interface design is still being discussed, its engine is already set. The new API allows many graphical possibilities and, which is very important, performance optimizations. All in all, we expect a significant leap forward in this area.

Third, we plan to make significant improvements to the physical models. There will be a revision of the many subtle aerodynamics aspects that accumulated through the years. Our physical models are already very accurate and are among the best in the genre. But there are always things that can be improved. As you know, recently we have tuned the damage modeling and achieved very good results. However, the experience of years of work and optimizations in various parts of the project allow us to make a next step in increasing the detail and variety of the aircraft damage modeling.

Fourth, we have already started the creation of the technical design documents for the new aircraft and one of these aircraft is already in development. The work on new pilots models is already underway. The pre-production of the new map has started - our designers are doing various research on the new area. This work is very extensive and complex because the chosen theatre of war is very interesting and visually appealing. But the reference documents and materials are not easy to come by. In fact, as it was before in our team experience, it looks like we'll not only create a new memorable realistic combat sim, but make a contribution to the history as a science by uncovering new data. At the very least we'll do our part in refreshing the public memory of these events.

Fifth, we're finishing the previous projects. The work on the Western Front 1918 map is nearing its end and we'll release it into Early Access as soon as possible along with Quick Mission mode. The work on the Career mode for Flying Circus is also progressing, the map locations are being prepared for this mode and the creation of new missions will start soon. Player controllable C-47 is almost finished and we hope to start its beta-testing soon. Sopwith Snipe progress is way beyond half of the planned work. Spitfire Mk.XIVe FM is in the works (we have shown you its screenshots in our Dev Blog recently) and our engineers will start the work on the Siemens Schuckert FM in the coming weeks. The IAR-80 visual model has made good progress. In fact, we plan to dedicate the next DD to this aircraft. StuG III will be finished soon - its physical model is ready and the artists are texturing its interior and exterior. In addition, we plan to create several more Collector Planes, which will be the modifications of the various aircraft that exist in the sim. Also we're finishing several Battle of Normandy objects - Bofors AAA on Morris 9C chassis, M8 Greyhound, Sd.Kfz.234 Puma armored car, Universal Carrier and Flight Direction Tender ship.

All in all, after the Normandy release our team did not slow down - on the contrary, we're accelerating on our way to the new, massive goal. This is backed up by the fact that we're significantly expanding - the plan is to increase the team from 36 to 50 people, reinforcing key departments and creating new ones. In spite of the world, industry and our project events the team keeps the spirit and its commitment to results - and the company management is also focused on results so we start our ship acceleration together. The very interesting, unique and compelling goal lies ahead and we're motivated to achieve it. We hope that when we announce it, this goal will inspire you, the community, not less than us, the development team - and perhaps even more.

To add something visual to today's DD, here are the shots of our Fw 190 D-9 model recently added to Artstation - check them out.

Please discuss here.

November 18, 2022

333

Dear Friends,

Very soon - next week - we'll publish the next update that is planned to bring (provided no critical problems are found during the beta testing) the long-awaited StuG III and C-47A, AND the WIP Western Front Spring 1918 map (!). We have told about the legendary Skytrain in one of our previous Dev Blogs, so today's star is StuG.III Ausf.G.

There were many StuG.III self-propelled guns produced during the war, more than 9000 units spanning around 10 modifications. The Ausführung G that is recreated by our very talented partners at Digital Forms was the later one, having the heaviest gun and armor of all of them. The vehicle represented was built on the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.M base, so it has nearly the same chassis, engine and transmission. The fighting compartment, however, was completely rebuilt: replacing the turret with the welded armored superstructure granted it enough internal volume to accomodate the bigger 75 mm StuK 40/L48 gun. Its barrel and ballistics are similar to KwK.40 L/48 installed on Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.G and later ones. This gun used the same ammo as 7,5 cm Pak. 40 AT gun.

Unlike the tank gun equipped with a telescopic gunsight designed for direct fire, the StuG.III gun had Sfl. ZF 1a artillery periscope marked for thre ammo types - APHE, sub-caliber AP and HE. Late StuG III modifications were equipped by infantry MG34 machinegun with box magazines stored in the fighting compartment. To fire it, the loader had to get out of his hatch, raise the armored shield and set the machinegun up in one of the two positions - for firing at air or ground targets. Schurzen armor plates for protection against AT rifles and shaped charges could be also installed.

Six one-shot smoke mortars could be also installed. Sure enoungh, not only we modeled them in the game, but we couldn't resist and upgraded the two previously released Tank Crew tanks with this weapon - Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.M and Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.H1 Tiger.

All in all, StuG.III is a light enough to be maneuverable, but also has a good frontal armor protection and a powerful main weapon. As we mentioned above, it will be available to its owners very soon.

Please discuss here.

December 2, 2022

334

Dear Friends,

Today we'll tell you about one of the Collector Planes in development - IAR-80/81. Both kinds of this Romanian aircraft will be available in our sim: the 'short' model with short fuselage and wings and the 'long' one (that's right - with long fuselage and wings). At the moment, the work on the first model has progressed well and the second one will be developed relatively fast after finishing the first. This fighter/bomber was designed under the lead of Ion Grosu and took off for the first time in 1939. In 1940 the aircraft went into mass production and later was updated many times, resulting in many modifications. Most of them will be available in Great Battles:

"Short version"
I.A.R.80-A serie 106-150 : fighter armed with six 7.92mm FN Browning MGs firing German rounds (base model).
I.A.R.80-B series 181-200 : fighter armed with four 7.92mm and two 13.2mm FN Browning MGs firing 13.2mm Hotchkiss rounds.
I.A.R.80-M : fighter armed with two 7.92mm FN Browning MGs and two 20mm MG-151/20 German guns.
I.A.R.81 series 151-175 : fighter/bomber armed with six 7.92mm FN Browning MGs and capable to deliver up to three bombs with up to 400 kg total weight. The underbelly bomb mount had a special parallelogram mechanism for dive bombing that prevented a released bomb from hitting the propeller. In addition, the flaps on this dive bomber modification had larger angle range, serving as ad-hoc air brakes.

"Long version"
I.A.R.80-B series 212-230 : fighter armed with four 7.92mm and two 13.2mm FN Browning MGs firing 13.2mm Hotchkiss rounds (base model).
I.A.R.80-C series 251-290 : fighter armed with four 7.92mm FN Browning MGs and two 20mm MG-FF Ikaria guns.
I.A.R.81-C series 301-450 : fighter/bomber armed two 7.92mm FN Browning MGs and two 20mm MG-151/20 German guns and capable to deliver up to three bombs.

All the IAR-80 modifications that will be modeled in our sim were powered by twin-row radial 14-cylinder air cooled engine I.A.R.-14K, which was the licensed version of the French Gnome-Rhone 14K. In takeoff mode it could reach 1000 HP. The similar, albeit less uprated engines were installed on the German ground attack aircraft Hs-129B-2 most Great Battles players are familar with already.

This first Romanian mass-produced fighter was all metal except the stabilizer and flaps skin. The flaps and landing gear had hydraulic actuators. All in all, it possessed flight characteristics similar to Soviet Yak-1, but late IAR modifications had much more powerful weapons and bombs.

The visual 3D model of IAR-80/81 is being developed by two famous enthusiasts - Ivan Shirshov (3D model) and Martin =ICDP= Catney (exterior textures). We hope they'll finish their part of the work in the coming months and we'll be able to start the work on its FM and systems. We'd like to repeat once again - if you're interested in creating new content for our series, we're always open for collaboration. Just contact us.

Please discuss here.

December 13, 2022

335

Dear Friends,

As 2022 draws to a close, we are completing our work on bringing the AI objects to the Normandy project that we previously promised. The first one is the Fighter Direction Tender. FDT are radar surveillance and control ships. They were actively used during the Normandy Landing in 1944 to coordinate the actions of Allied aviation and provide radar cover for the landing zones. We created three ships, FDT-13, FDT-216, FDT-217, based on the LST class dock landing ships, which bore the same hull numbers before modernization. Their modernization was carried out on the shipyards of the west coast of Scotland, away from the active enemy forces. During the modernization, various radio communication, electronic interception, and radar antenna equipment were installed on the upper decks of the ships, including two powerful Type 15 GCI and Type 11 radars. These ships played a prominent role in the events of D-Day.

The second AI object is a German eight-wheeled armored car Sd.Kfz. 234/2 Puma. This “slash-two” modification was the second by numbers among all the Pumas produced during the war: 101 out of 478 vehicles. This modification took part in the events of 1944, which the Battle for Normandy project tells about. It is a variant armed with the 50mm KwK-39 cannon (similar to the one used on later modifications of the Pz.Kpfw. III tanks), located, unlike later modifications with a 75mm cannon, in a fully enclosed and armored rotating turret. The car is notable for quite good frontal armor of the hull and turret (up to 30mm), as well as its unique chassis, which is worth mentioning by itself. The chassis is built based on an independent levered suspension of all 8 wheels and their coupled wheel springing. All the wheels of the Puma are driving and steerable. All this together, as well as a 12-cylinder V-shaped diesel engine Tatra 103 with a 210 horsepower capacity, provided very good cross-country ability, maneuverability, and speed.

The third is a lighter American armored car, M8 Greyhound. This three-axle all-wheel drive vehicle, unlike the Puma, had a classic chassis design with 3 leading solid beams and a front steering axle, less body armor (up to 19mm in the front), and lighter armament, the 37mm M6 cannon placed in an open-top turret. An important quality of the vehicle for infantry units was the additional heavy .50 cal Browning machine gun mounted on the rear of the turret. Possessing more modest characteristics and a less revolutionary design, however, the Greyhound was a third lighter than the Puma and obviously easier to manufacture. In the conditions of the Second World War, this was largely a determining factor. Moreover, the Greyhound turned out to be a rather successful armored car that was used in various conflicts for a great many years after the 1945.

Please discuss here.

December 16, 2022

336

Dear Friends,

As we have mentioned during one of the video streams earlier, there are additional Collector Planes in development which are modifications of the existing ones in our sim. Today we can tell you a bit about one of them: the Messerschmitt Bf-109 G6/AS.

This model of the Bf-109 G6 has been designed as a high-altitude interceptor and appeared in the Western Europe skies during late Spring 1944, so it fits in the Battle of Normandy and Bodenplatte Career timeframes. 686 aircraft were built, 226 from the scratch and 460 upgraded from G-6 modification aircraft during the repairs. The engine, DB605AS was a modification of the DB605A . The installation of the bigger supercharger from the DB603 engine has increased the critical altitude and flight characteristics at high altitudes. The engine cowling became bigger, but it had a more aerodynamic form compared to a standard G6 cowling.

The base model of this aircraft in Great Battles will have the DB605AS engine working on B4 fuel (87 octane) with 1.42 ATA and 1435 HP takeoff power (1 minute limit). There will be the following modifications available:
- DB605ASM engine using С3 fuel (100 octane) allowing 1.7 ATA and 1800 HP takeoff power (around 3 minute limit);
- DB605ASM engine using С3 fuel (100 octane) with MW50 water-methanol injection system, allowing 1.7 ATA and 1800 HP takeoff power (up to 10 minutes time limit while there is water-methanol mixture left). In this modification the engine can take the takeoff power longer, but the downside is that the aircraft becomes around 100 kg heavier (MW50 weight).

Bf-109 G6/AS had a bigger tail fin, Erla Haube canopy and fixed loop radio compass. Additional weapon modifications will include:
- MK-108 engine cannon (replacing the MG151/20);
- Two underwing MG151/20 guns;
- Two 210mm WGr 21 rockets;
- 250 kg underfuselage bomb.

Previously we have seen a number of player requests to have this 109 model in Great Battles and we always strive to meet the player requests whenever we have the opportunity. At the moment the 3D model of the aircraft is nearly done and the work on its FM and systems is ongoing.

Please discuss here.

December 29, 2022

337

Dear Friends,

Year 2022 is ending and as we’re accustomed to, it’s time to sum up its results and discuss the future. 2022 was a year of big changes for IL-2 - our team has increased in size and is determined to achieve even more. We have completed nearly everything planned for this year: Battle of Normandy was the most massive release since 2012 and the finishing of Flying Circus Vol.II is in sight. We continue to develop the Great Battles world by releasing hundreds of improvements - some of them are very significant. Before moving on to next year’s plan, let’s reflect on the Great Battles stats for this year.

We have released 9 updates that brought 365 listed changes and improvements including:

Battle of Normandy release

6 fundamental visual improvements:

New physically based sky dome tech
Realistic visualization of formation lights for all aircraft

Tactical numbers for all aircraft and player controllable tanks
New visualization of propellers for all aircraft

Dynamic Visual Damage (DVD) system applied for all aircraft and player controllable tanks
Numerous revamped graphical effects

Two new huge maps:

Northern France and Southern England (in two variations, with Quick Mission Builder, Advanced Quick Mission Generator and Career modes support).

Western Front, Spring 1918 (with Quick Mission Builder mode support, the other two modes are in development).

1 new scenario campaign:

“His Majesty’s Griffons”

10 new released aircraft (9 are player-controllable):

Ju 88 C-6 “Zerstörer”

Mosquito F.B. Mk.VI series.2

Arado AR 234 B-2 “Blitz”

Me 410 A-1 “Hornisse”

Douglas C-47A “Skytrain”

B-26B-55 “Marauder" (AI)

Handley Page O/400

Gotha G.V

Sopwith Triplane

Sopwith Snipe

Two new player controllable combat vehicles:

Churchill IV

StuG III Ausf.G

9 new AI controllable combat vehicles:

Bedford QLD (AI)
Bedford QLC (AI)
Universal Carrier Mk.II (AI)

Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf.H (AI)
Pz.Kpfw. V Ausf.G "Panther" (AI)

Morris C9B with Bofors 40/L60 (AI)
Flakpanzer IV "Möbelwagen" (AI)

M8 "Greyhound" (AI)
Sd.Kfz. 234/2 "Puma" (AI)

7 new ships:

Landing Craft Assault (LCA)
Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM)

Landing Craft Tank (LCT)
Bayfield-class military transport
Liberty military transport
Design 1013 cargo ship

Gleaves-class destroyer

In addition, recently we’ve released 5.004b hotfix so your playing experience on the holidays will be even better.

Despite all the grim news of 2022, we were able to find a way not only to continue working, but to expand. Probably in the most spectacular way since 2012. The team size has increased by nearly a quarter. We are joined by two new programmers, two FM engineers, two 3D artists and two community managers. And this is only a beginning since we plan to continue the expansion.

All the not-so-easy changes that happened to IL-2 in 2022 allowed us to move on from the old way of thinking that held back our development. The need for changes in the technological base is long overdue. However, the former focus on producing primarily new content did not allow the team to fully unlock its potential associated with the full-fledged development of technology and improving the quality of the sim. The new strategy adopted in the middle of the year, gave us the freedom to choose the direction of development, as well as the opportunity to attract new resources.

There are ambitious goals ahead, and the team is gathering strength and resources to reach them. Here’s what we have planned for the next year:
1. Bring the production of the new large-scale project to full speed;
2. Complete the development of a number of new base technologies for the new project, which we started working on last year already;
3. Develop new approaches to the user experience in the next project, taking into account all the previous experience (both our own and that of our competitors);
4. Continue releasing new content for the Great Battles world;
5. Add new employees to the team, increasing the number of team members by 1.5 times in total;
6. Establish partnerships with teams and enthusiasts who will help us in the development of the Great Battles world, as well as in the creation of content for the new project.

It's been a long, eventful year, which we've managed to go through almost in full accordance with the previously planned plans, even building up potential along the way. Interesting and vast tasks lie ahead of us and we’re not doubting the eventual success. The work schedule is ready, the strategy is approved, and the team is full of enthusiasm. Clear prop! And Happy New Year!

Please discuss here.

February 1, 2023

338

Dear Friends,

Since the release of Battle of Kuban we are striving to release the free historical campaigns that augment the single missions and Career mode in our modules whenever time and resources allow.

Today we want to tell you about the campaign ‘Wings over Caen’ - it will be released in the near future and will be free for all Battle of Normandy owners. This historical campaign is dedicated to the operations of the No. 245 Squadron RAF which has been using Typhoon Mk.Ib fighter/bombers.

Historical Background

One of the primary objectives of the 3rd British Infantry Division, which was part of I Corps and landed at Sword Beach on D-Day, was to capture the city of Caen. However, they did not succeed in this either on June 6 nor the following days. Gradually, the German command turned Caen into the cornerstone of its entire defense in Normandy, where the majority of reinforcements were thrown in. The battle for the city dragged on for more than a month and a half, seriously slowing down the advance of the Allied forces in the British sector.

The central role in close air support for British and Canadian forces was to be played by the four Typhoon armed wings of the 2ndTactical Air Force: Nos. 123, 124, 143 and 121. The latter included the 245th squadron which was engaged at the very tip of the advance.

No. 245 (Northern Rhodesia) Squadron, Royal Air Force

The squadron was originally formed in August 1918 and re-formed in October 1939. Using Hurricanes, it participated in the Dunkirk evacuation, served as an AA defence unit and provided air cover for sea convoys. Since September 1941 it operated in the skies of the northern France.

In January 1943 the squadron received Typhoons and in June has been assigned to the 2ndTactical Air Force. During the invasion preparations it continued the airstrikes against the enemy communications in northern France, rejecting the bombs in favor of the unguided rockets.

After two weeks of the Normandy landings the squadron has been ordered to move to the continent, but then all kinds of things went wrong. Our campaign starts right at this point and covers the most fierce fighting for Caen since June 27th to July 27th,1944.

Story

All the missions of the campaign were created using the real operation records of the 245^th, the other squadrons of the 121st wing and other units, allowing you to experience the sufficiently authentic of the events.

No. 121 Wing Typhoons have been assigned four main tasks during this timeframe:

. Suppression of the AA, AT and other artillery batteries;

. Destruction of enemy transport and armored vehicles both in road columns and on the battlefield;

. Airstrikes against the enemy strongpoints;

. Free hunt against the enemy road and railroad traffic not far behind the frontline.

During the campaign you’ll have the chance to try your hand in all of them, providing support for the main operations of the British High Command near Caen. The sorties will have different weather conditions, time of day and battlefield smoke, recreating the real difficulties the Typhoon pilots had to overcome in addition to the fire from the ground and rare enemy fighters.

With this work we would like to pay respects to all RAF and U.S. Air Force veterans who were fighting in the Normandy skies and to Squadron Leader John Russell Collins in particular.

He commanded the unit skillfully, made it a force to be reckoned with and personally led it into combat on numerous especially dangerous occasions. Unfortunately, on August 11th, 1944, during the last mission in the operative cycle before the planned rest, his Typhoon was hit by enemy AAA and he was killed.

In the campaign you’ll be acting under his command and see his Typhoon designated MR+? in several missions.

P.S. We would like to thank Luke =LukeFF= Wallace for valuable input and help with research and all our beta-testers and translators who make the regular and timely campaign releases possible.

IL-2 Sturmovik Team

Please discuss Here.

February 17, 2023

339

Dear Friends,

Today we have more news about the next update 5.101. Among other things, it will bring the Pilot Career mode for the Flying Circus Vol. II, which will mark its official release. We start the beta-testing of the Career today while our partners at Yugra Media plan to complete the fine-tuning and debugging of the map by the end of the month.

The Career mode is the last piece of the puzzle that the Flying Circus project was missing in order to fully reproduce the set of game features that were available in our old World War I project Rise of Flight. Simultaneously, we are also negotiating with Yugra Media about the continuation of the Flying Circus series. Our goal is to fully reproduce the aircraft set and the Rise of Flight map in the modern engine. We are hoping for a positive outcome and your support, since the player interest primarily affects our decisions.

Flying Circus not only reproduces Rise of Flight in the Great Battles game world, but also brings many innovations that we have developed over the past decade. In addition to the obvious things like better visual model quality, there are a number of additions such as possibility to bail out, oxygen equipment, machine gun jamming when overheated, custom tactical numbers and other nice additions that make flying a World War I airplane much more believable and impressive. The Western Front map presented in Flying Circus Vol.II reproduces the features of the landscape in more detail and contains a number of infrastructure and military facilities that were missing in Rise of Flight. The work is at the final stage and should be completed by the beginning of March.

Now let’s look at the details of the new mode. WWI Career will contain two phases:

1. From April 1st till September 30th, 1917.
2. From April 1st till November 11th, 1918.

In contrast to the Rise of Flight, there is no winter of 1917-1918 because Vol.II has only one season so far (it will be made continuous in Vol. III if it is created).

In the two main areas completed on the Vol. II stage map, the career mode will use 105 airfields for the player's flights. In comparison to the Rise of Flight, the airfields in these squares were significantly refined. The player will be able to join 9 French, 15 British, 6 American and 12 German squadrons (total 42). Among them, of course, there will be the famous La Fayette, No. 56 Squadron, 94th Aero Squadron, Jasta Boelcke and Jasta 11.

At the moment, World War I career mode has 17 types of missions and it takes advantage of all the improvements which have been developed by us over the past ten years after Rise of Flight. Starting next week, the work will begin on missions unique to the Great War, such as Balloon Hunt, Photo Recon, Artillery Fire Adjustment and Visual Recon, which we plan to complete by the project release.

To summarize, Flying Circus Vol. II is in the final stages of development and its release should happen really soon. Stay tuned!

IL-2 Sturmovik Team

Please discuss- Here

March 3, 2023

DD340 has been released.

Full News -go here for the full text and visual materials

DD340 discussion

March 24, 2023

DD 341 has been released.

Full News - Go here for the full text and visual materials.

Discuss it here

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